BUILDING A HOME
IN
GALLATIN COUNTY
if you're new to Gallatin County or new to home building in general, you might not be aware of all the rules and regulations specific to the area. Gallatin County encompasses a large range of southwest Montana, including: Bozeman, Belgrade, Manhattan, Big Sky, and Three Forks and each area has it's own unique regulations.
COUNTY PERMITS
SEPTIC PERMIT
The first step in the permitting process is obtaining a septic permit. An approved septic permit will be required prior to submitting any other permits needed for construction. This is because the location of your well and septic system often dictates where you can build your home and what environmental regulations need to be followed.
There are two components of a septic permit:
Site Evaluation – A professional engineer will schedule a site visit with the county health department to complete an evaluation of the property. During the site visit, an 8-foot deep test pit will be excavated to examine the underlying soil conditions. In addition, the site evaluator will complete water sampling, percolation tests, and make notes about the topography and other site conditions. It is recommended that the property owner is present during this work to answer any questions that might come up about your proposed home project.
Design & Permitting – Once the site evaluation is complete, the engineer will work on designing the septic system and locating a suitable location for the well. This work will include environmental calculations to ensure that the proposed septic system will not create any environmental health problems and that the system is appropriate for the intended use. This work typically takes 4 to 5 days and once complete, the engineer will complete a permit application to submit to the County health Department.
FEES:
The county review fee for a septic permit is typically $650.
The cost for an engineer to complete a septic design and site evaluation is $2,600 on average.
SELECTING AN ENGINEER
I am a licensed profession engineer in the state of Montana and a licensed septic system designer and site evaluator in Gallatin County. Feel free to contact me to discuss any aspect of your project. My fee to complete a septic system design and site evaluation is $2,300 for most projects.
Kellen Gamradt, PE
(406) 570-7905
LAND USE PERMIT
If the property is within a zoning district, you will need to obtain a Land Use Permit from the County before starting construction.
A property's zoning district is typically determined as part of the septic design; however, you can visit the county planning office if you would like information about a property's current zoning.
Here is a link to the Land Use Permit:
Once completed, you can submit the permit at the County Planning Office on the 1st floor of the Courthouse @ 311 W. Main Street in Bozeman.
FLOODPLAIN
If you live near a river or stream, the county planning department may require you to obtain a floodplain permit. Here is a link to additional information about floodplains.
STATE PERMITS
BUILDING PERMIT
Building Permit - If you are constructing a single family home outside the limits of a town or city, a building permit is not required. Building permits are generally required for larger commercial and multi-family developments. The following construction projects are exempt from obtaining a building permit:
farm and ranch buildings
mining buildings on mining property
petroleum refineries and pulp and paper mills (except office and shop buildings)
residential buildings containing less than five dwelling units (except when serving transient guests)
private garages and private storage buildings used for the owner's own use (not part of a commercial enterprise or business)
ELECTRICAL PERMIT
Electrical Permit - State electrical permits are required on all electrical work performed in Montana, except in cities, counties and towns certified to issue electrical permits and conduct inspections. A homeowner may wire his/her own home, garage and premises using a State homeowner's electrical permit. Inspections are conducted by State Electrical Inspectors and permits are obtained from the bureau. All other electrical wiring projects require State electrical permits obtained by Montana licensed electrical contractors and the wiring must be performed by a Montana licensed electrician. For electrical licensure information, call 841-2300. Prior to starting any electrical installation, the installer or owner shall submit an application for Electrical Permit to the Building Codes Bureau with appropriate fees. Electrical permit applications are also available from any power supplier or electrical inspector. Upon receipt of the application and fee(s), the Bureau will issue the electrical permit covering the installation. Questions regarding electrical permits and investigation e-mail the Electrical Safety Program or call (406) 841-2056.
MECHANICAL PERMIT
If you are constructing a single family home outside the limits of a town or city, a mechanical permit is not required. Mechanical permits are generally required for heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, restaurant kitchen hoods and other mechanical systems: (a) on all buildings to which state building permits.
BUYING LAND
IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS
Before purchasing property, it’s important to know what restrictions already exist on the land. You might have found the perfect location to build your dream home, but if it turns out you’re in a floodplain, or the property does not have the required certificate of subdivision approval, you might have just purchased a nice location to pitch a lawn chair. Here are the most important aspects of purchasing a property in Gallatin County:
FLOODPLAIN
Any good realtor should verify a property’s floodplain designation before writing an offer, but it doesn’t always happen. An addition, floodplain information is not part of the title work. Use the link below to do a quick search of a property’s floodplain designation:
https://msc.fema.gov/portal/home
Results
Floodplain ‘ZONE X’ – Good news, your property is in an area of minimal flood hazard
Floodplain ‘Map Not Printed’ & ‘ZONE D’ – This simply means that a flood study has not been completed for the area. This is a common occurrence in Gallatin County and most times realtors will incorrectly report this as “outside the floodplain.” THIS IS A FALSE CLAIM. The area could very well be inside a floodplain; however, a flood study has not been completed for the area so it’s impossible to tell.
If you’re considering purchasing a property near a stream or river, or in a low lying area, and the property shows up as ‘Map not Printed’ to determine if the property is within a floodplain.For additional information on this topic, please refer to (below).
Floodplain Zone A, Zone B, Zone C, and Zone V are all areas with flood risk.
LOCATION & ZONING
I’m sure you’ve heard the term ‘location is everything.’ Well, this is also true when it comes to regulations.
The first distinction to make is, are you in the ‘City’ or the ‘County.’ Inside the ‘City’ means you are within the boundaries of an established town or city and are therefore subject to City regulations. Inside the ‘County’ simply means you are outside the boundary (or limits) or any City and are therefore only subject to Gallatin County regulations.
Zoning is a term used to describe the appropriate land use and restrictions associated with an area. The County’s interactive map is a great starting place to determine the zoning of any property you’re interested in (see link below). This map also includes City limits.
Gallatin County Interactive Map
If you’re unable to find what you need on the county map, consider visiting or emailing the county planning office:
County Planning Office
Gallatin County Courthouse
311 W. Main Street
Bozeman, MT 59715
County planners are great resources to learn the regulations associated with each zoning district. Although most properties within the county are subject to zoning, there are some available properties with no zoning restrictions, which are least restrictive for development.
UTILITIES
A property’s proximity to utilities is one of the most important considerations when purchasing land. Particularly when the property is secluded from other developments. Below are some considerations in regards to utilities:
Water/Sewer – If the property is outside city limits, more than likely you will not have access to City water & sewer services; however, this is not always the case. Water and Sewer Districts exist throughout Gallatin County providing water/sewer services to certain areas of the county. If you’re unsure if you’re in a water/sewer district, refer to Septic Systems below or reach out to your realtor. If you are not in a water/sewer district then you will need to install an individual septic system and drinking water well. Click here for more information.
If you are inside the boundaries of a City, it’s very likely that City water and sewer services will be available to you. Any newer subdivision with a lot available should, at a minimum, provide water and sewer service to the property, as well as electric, phone, natural gas, cable TV and/or internet.
Electricity – Unless you’re planning or running on solar power and/or a generator, you’ll need to plan on running a buried electric line to your home. When inspecting a property, take note on wow close is the nearest power pole is? This can play a key role in determining where a potential home site might be on the property. The cost of running a buried electric service in Gallatin County can be upwards of $20 / foot. For additional information electrical services, contact Northwestern Energy:
Northwestern Energy
121 E Griffin Drive
Bozeman, MT 59715
(888) 467-2669
Communications – If you’re considering purchasing land outside the City limits, your options may be limited for services like TV, internet, and phone. When looking at a potential property, pull out your cell phone and see how good your service is. Although cell phone coverage is getting better in the area, there are large sections of the county that still have limited cell phone coverage. Charter, Century Link, and Opticom are the main service providers in the area for TV and internet. If these services are not available at your property, Little Apple Technologies is a company I highly recommend. Little apple can provide you with high speed internet and phone via a small satellite mounted to your roof in basically any area of the County:
Little Apple Technologies
112 S Broadway Street
Manhattan, MT 59741
(406) 284-3174
PLAT RESTRICTIONS
Depending on when a property was created (platted), it may be subject to additional restrictions and regulations. This is particularly true in regards to the installation of septic systems. A good example of this can be found at Gallatin River Ranch, a subdivision just north of Manhattan. When the subdivision was platted, properties were broken into 20 acre parcels in order to avoid subdivision review by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. Subsequently, the properties within the subdivision were resurveyed and about half of the parcels ended up being less than 20 acres. Therefore, any property within this subdivision under 20 acres (even properties that are 19.99 acres) are no longer exempt from a subdivision review and if a property owner wishes to build on their land, they are forced to hire a professional engineer to work through a very expensive and time consuming subdivision review by the state for their individual property. I personally specialize in subdivision reviews and septic permitting. If you have a question about plat restrictions related to your property, please contact me:
Kellen Gamradt, PE
Gallatin County Septic Design
(406) 570-7905
ABOUT
Gallatin County Septic Design offers a wide range of services including:
Septic System Design
Septic System Permitting
Small Subdivision Design & Permitting
Site Grading and Storm Drainage Design
Land Use Permitting
Building for Lease/Rent Permitting
Home Design and Construction Plan Preparation
Contact Information:
Kellen Gamradt, PE
Gallatin County Septic Design
(406) 570-7905
Gallatin County is a great place to live but navigating the home building process can be challenging. Gallatin County Septic Design is a great resource to assist in your home building process from permitting and design thru construction.